2017 Driver Ratings School Report: Ayrton Simmons

TERM ONE

Grade: C

Comment: Simmons kicked off his second season in Formula 4 with a race win at Brands Hatch, but couldn’t match the top result later as the year continued. He didn’t take another podium finish before the summer break, and ended the first half of the year eighth in the championship

TERM TWO

Grade: C+

Comment: Simmons was much more consistent in the second half of the season. Though he couldn’t quite manage another race win, he claimed five more podium finishes and finished in the top five more often than not. The consistency put him above Patrik Pasma in the title fight.

Overall Grade: C

Best moment of the season: Simmons claimed his first car racing victory at the site of his first podium last year, though on a slightly shorter version of the Brands Hatch circuit. The Arden driver started on pole in the reverse grid race on the Indy Circuit. A perfect start allowed him to pull away from the rest of the field as Billy Monger fought with Patrik Pasma and Logan Sargeant. From that point on, it was a simple race for Simmons, who finished five seconds ahead of his closest rival.

Worst moment of the season: It was another reverse grid pole for the second race at Croft for Simmons, but team-mates Alex Quinn and Oscar Piastri and championship leader Jamie Caroline jumped past him on the opening lap before a safety car paused the race. A mistake from Caroline put Simmons back in third and, though the Carlin driver fought hard and Simmons had a damaged front wing, he defended well. He was still running third when, in the second half of the race, the pair made contact and Simmons was sent wide into the cornfield, bringing his race to a premature end.